Since the beginning of Russia’s war against Ukraine, Belarus has been called a co-aggressor. Unprecedentedly harsh Western sanctions have been imposed on official Minsk for aiding in the conflict, namely for giving its territory to Russian troops to attack Ukraine.
President Lukashenko has maintained a flexible rhetorical position and maneuvered his troops without clear military objectives. On May 26, Lukashenka said that the Armed Forces of Belarus plan to establish a Southern Operational Command near the border with Ukraine. The number of combat training events for the Belarusian military has increased in the Volyn and Polissya areas, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported. The Belarus army continues to cover the Ukrainian-Russian border in the Bryansk and Kursk regions. Additional units are being deployed in the border areas of the Gomel region. The threat of air and missile strikes from the territory of the Republic of Belarus remains.
The scale of Belarus’ responsibility in the war has been debated by international parties. A recent OSCE report states that Belarus is not a party to this international armed conflict until it commits acts of violence or other acts that would be a direct part of hostilities. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that Alexander Lukashenko was involved in the full-scale war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. He stated that official Minsk was an accomplice in the massacres. The legal status of Belarus in this war and the Lukashenko regime’s responsibility are to be negotiated after the war reaches an internationally recognised resolution.
Speakers:
- Yurii Panchenko, editor of news outlet “European Pravda”
- Yurii Oliinyk, Head of Research Programs of NAC «Ukrainian Studies of Strategic Disquisitions»
- Yurii Syrotiuk, Director of NAC «Ukrainian Studies of Strategic Disquisitions», co-founder of Belarusian Information Center.
UKRAINE IN FLAMES project is created by Ukraine Crisis Media Center, Ukrainian Catholic University’s analitical center and NGO “Euroatlantic Course”. We are aiming at searching a loud support for Ukraine in the war started by Russia on the 24th of February 2022.
If you want to support Ukraine against Russian aggression, check the link with recommendations by Ukraine Crisis Media Center – https://uacrisis.org/en/help-ukraine.
NGO Euroatlantic Course collects donations to support Ukrainian Army and civilians – https://eac.org.ua/en/main-page/.
